Hours until Midnight
by Astri
Summary: The night James and Lily died...Memories of their school days and old pals, thoughts about things...r/r!


Hours until Midnight   
  
October 30   
Twenty-one-year-old Lily Potter sighed, rocking her sleeping one-year-old baby, Harry.   
Harry opened his eyes sleepily and gazed at his mother, lifting his tiny hands to play with his mother's long red hair.   
Lily smiled and tickled his tummy. Harry giggled.   
James sat down next to Lily.   
"How long do you think we've got?"   
"Lily...Peter will keep the secret. He's one of our friends, he won't betray us," James said.   
Lily stood and took Harry to his room and tucked him into his crib.   
"I love you, Harry," Lily whispered.   
~*~~*~   
"W-when will w-we strik, M-M-Master?"   
"Soon, Wormtail."   
~*~~*~   
"Lily? Are you all right?" James asked, putting his arm around her.   
Lily nodded. "Fine..I just- fine."   
James gazed into Lily's emerald green eyes.   
"I just had a feeling something bad is going to happen."   
"It's the Muggle season of fear. Halloween is tomorrow night."   
Lily nodded.   
Lily and James walked into the kitchen, Lily wondering why she felt betrayed and James wondering why he didn't want to leave Harry or Lily ever again.   
~*~   
October 31 6:30 pm.   
The sky was covered with dark stormclouds, threatening to let loose and let the rain poor.   
James grinned and walked over to Lily, took her hands and led her outside and into the rain that had just started falling from the clouds at a rapid rate.   
James danced around with Lily, both getting thoroughly drenched, but neither caring much at the moment.   
James slipped on the wet grass and fell into a mud puddle.   
Lily laughed, bent down next to him, picked up a handful of mud and dumped the mud onto James.   
James pulled on Lily's arms and Lily fell into the puddle with him, shrieking with laughter.   
"Do you remember Sirius and Cassidy in fifth year?" Lily asked.   
James snorted. "When Remus was mad at them for not including him in that prank on Snape?"   
"Yeah. He threatened to throw them in the lake and Sirius backed up and fell right in, bringing Cassidy down with him," Lily smiled, remembering their schoolmates.   
A fork of lightning flashed across the sky as the wind picked up.   
"We should get back inside and check on Harry," Lily said.   
~*~~*~   
8:30 pm   
"They're b-both at home."   
"Good. We will get them easily."   
~*~~*~   
9:30 pm   
"The Ministry thinks they've got a lead on where Voldemort will strike next. Adrienne McKinnley, d'you remember her? Short blonde Ravenclaw, stubborn attitude, very powerful. She's living near Little Whinging."   
Lily nodded. "She punched Malfoy, didn't she? He insulted her friend, Mandy Parker, wasn't it?"   
"That's her. Apparently-" James was cut off from someone knocking on the door.   
Harry wailed from his room.   
Lily smiled slightly and walked into Harry's room while James opened the door...and slammed it shut.   
"Lily! It's him! Take Harry and go!" James yelled.   
Lily froze for a moment in shock, realized what James had said and picked up Harry. She cast a spell on Harry that would protect him from everything- everything except the Avada Kedavra.   
The door blasted open.   
James, who had run into Harry's room to make sure she was getting out, ran back into the living room to hold off Voldemort.   
"Lily, go! I'll hold him off!"   
Lily was torn between getting Harry to safety and staying with James.   
Dumbledore had warned them about this-- why hadn't they listened to Dumbledore?   
Because we were so stubborn that our friends would never betray us and look where it's gotten us, Lily thought.   
"Hand me the boy."   
Lily jumped.   
Voldemort stood in the doorframe, his wand out.   
Lily could see a trembling figure behind him.   
"James!" Lily yelled. Was that James?   
Voldemort laughed evilly.   
"He's dead." he said and laughed again.   
Lily stared down at Harry.   
"Hand the boy over, your life will be spared."   
She loved him so much, she couldn't let Voldemort get him. And why would her life be spared? Voldemort had NEVER let ANYBODY live.   
"No," Lily said quietly. "You can't have him. You'll never get him. He will rise up above you and defeat you."   
"Foolish girl. Avada Kedavra!"   
~*~~*~   
Peter Pettigrew flinched as Voldemort killed Lily.   
Two of his best friends...dead...He'd betrayed Lily and James and Harry.   
Voldemort laughed. "Thought she could protect herself, didn't she Wormtail?"   
"Y-yes." Peter said. Master always frightened him.   
Voldemort walked into the room and picked up the baby boy.   
Lily had let Peter hold him a couple times. It was wonderful, holding a baby. Lily had shown him the correct way to hold Harry, supporting his neck and back.   
Harry had smiled a toothless smile at Peter and squeezed Peter's fingers.   
Why had Peter done that to his friends?   
"Avada Kedavra," Voldemort said.   
There was a flash of green light that bounced off the walls.   
James and Lily's house collapsed...every room except for Harry's was demolished.   
Peter looked at the little figure of Harry.   
Harry cried.   
Harry cried? That meant...Harry was alive!   
But where was Voldemort?   
Peter decided not to think about it, transfigured into his Anamagi form and ran out of the house. He didn't want to get caught in the place.   
The Ministry would get there soon...   
Peter ran well into the night, wishing he could change his decisions. James and Lily still might be alive if he could.   
But no. He had sided with Voldemort to stay alive. And now James and Lily were dead.   
~*~~*~   
  
Disclaimor: I own nothing that you recognize.   
  
A/N: I've got nothing to say, so review, won't you? Please?!


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